walt whitman and william blake

Chapter I

The Problem

A. INTRODUCTION

Having a term paper as a requirement for the graduating students is important. It may be

difficult for the students since it is their first time to make this requirement but it is fun to

do this, since this is one of knowing the author and the same time develop the

researcher’s skill in analyzing and interpreting ideas. In the writing this term paper the

researchers gain information and get familiar to the works and life story of the two

authors.

This term paper focuses the comparative study of William Blake and Walt Whitman. The

researchers gather information through research and analyze the data to answer the

question stated in the problem.

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B. BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM BLAKE¹

William Blake was an English poet, engraver, and a painter. A boldly imaginative rebel

in both his through and art, he combined poetic and pictorial genius to explore life.

YOUTH

William Blake was born in London, England, on November 28, 1757, the second son of a

men’s clothing merchant. From his earliest year he saw vision. He would see trees full of

angels on similar sights, if this were not true mystical visions; they were the results of the

artistic intense spiritual understanding of the world. From his early teens Blake wrote poems,

often setting them to melodies of his own composition. At the age of ten, Blake started at the

well-known Park’s DrawingSchool, at age of fourteen; he began a seven year apprenticeship

to an engraver. It was as an engraver that Blake earned his living for the rest of his life. After

he was twenty-one, Blake studied for a time at The Royal Academy of Arts, but he was

unhappy with the instruction and left. In August 1782, Blake married Catherine Boucher. He

was taught her to read and to write, and she later became a valued assistant. His sweet sha of

delight, as Blake, called Catherine as a devoted and loving wife.

EARLY WORKS

When he was twenty-six he wrote a collection entitled Poetical Sketches and it was the only

one of Blake’s poetic works to appear in conventional printed from he later invented and

practiced a new method.

After his father died on 1784, Blake set up a print shop next door to the family shop. In

1787, his beloved brother Robert died; thereafter Blake claimed that Robert communicated

with him in visions. It was Robert, Blake said, who inspired him with a new method of

illuminated etching. The words and on design was drawn on reverse on the plate covered

with an acid, resting substance; acid was them applied. Blake used his unique methods to

print almost all of his long poems.

In 1787, Blake produced Song of Innocence (1789) as the first major work in his new

process, followed by Song of Experience (1794). The magnificent lyrics of these two

collections carefully compare the openness of innocence with the bitterness of experience.

¹ http: www. Online.Literature.com/Blake/

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DAYS OF BETRAYAL

Blake spent the years 1800 to 1803 in Sussex working with William Hayley, a minor poet

and man of letters. With good intensions Hayley tired to cure Blake of his unprofitable

enthusiasm. Blake finally rebelled against this criticism and reject Hayley’s help. In Milton

(c.1800-1810).Blake wrote an allegory in this relationship. He identified with the poet John

Milton (1600-1674) in leaving the safety to heaven and returning to earth. Also at this time

in life Blake was accused of uttering sedition (treasonous) sentiments. Has was later found

not guilty but the incident affected much of Blake’s final epic. Jerusalem (c.1804-1820).

Back in London, Blake worked hard of this poems engraving and painting, but he suffered

several reverses. He also received insulting reviews of that project and of and exhibition he

grave in 1809 to introduce of idea of decorating public buildings with portable frescoes

(painting done on moist plaster using water-based paints). He composed the Four Zoas ,

mystical story predicting the future showing how evil rooted in man’s basics faculties

reasons, passions, instinct, and imagination (Imagination was the hero).

LATER YEARS

The next decade is a sad and private period in Blake’s life. He did some significant work,

including his designs on Milton’s poems L’Allegro and II Panseroso (1816) and the writing

of his own poem The Everlasting Gospel (c. 1818). He was also sometimes reduced to

writing for others and the public did not purchase on read his divinely inspired predictions

and visions. After 1818, however, conditions improved, his last six years of life were spent

of Foundation count surrounded by a group of admiring young artist.

CONTINUING INFLUENCE

Blake’s history does not end his death. In his own lifetime he was almost unknown except to

a few friends and faithful sponsor. He was even suspected of being mad, but interest in work

grew during the middle of nineteenth century and difficult mythology.

He has been acclaimed as one who shares common ideals held by psychologist, writers

(most probably William Butler Yeats [1865-1939]). The works of William Blake have been

used by people rebelling against a wide variety if issues, such as war, conformity (behaving

in certain way because it is accepted on excepted), and almost every kind of repression.

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BIOGRAPHY OF WALT WHITMAN²

Walt Whitman was born in Long Island, New York, the son of a Quaker carpenter.

Whitman’s mother was descended from Dutch farmers; there were slaves employed on the

farm when Whitman was very young. After leaving school in 1830, he became printer’s

apprentice. When the Great Fire on 1835 divested the city, and the printing industry,

Whitman was forced to return to his family for a period. He work then as a teacher and

journeyman printer, and held a variety of other jobs white writing and printing periodicals.

The Brooklyn Eagle from 1846 to 1848 and The Brooklyn times from 1857 to 1858. In

between Whitman spent three months of a New Orleans paper, and earning his living from

undistinguished hack work. During his formative years as a poet, he read Emerson, Carlyle,

and such as German writers as Goethe, Heine, Shlegel, and Hegel, though his knowledge of

German language was negligible. “I couldn’t understand a word,” he said later in life. In

New York, Whitman witnessed the rapped growth of the city and wanted to write a new kind

of poetry in tune with mankind’s new faith hopeful expectation and energy of his days.

Around the time of writing the first edition, Whitman knew little on nothing about Indian

philosophy expressed, but later critics recognized Indian ideas expressed in poem-words

from the Sanskrit are used carefully in some of the poems entitled “Calamaus”, which has

been taker as reflection of man for man.

During the Civil war, Whitman worked as a clerk in Washington, where his close friends

included William Douglas O’Cannon,a writer daguerreotypist and his wife Ellen who invited

him to their home.

Following the shock of the first battle of Bull Run, Whitman wrote the patriotic poem. Beat!

Beat!(1861), which the beating of the war drums is compared to a brutal force that shatters

the peaceful life. At that time, the future of America seemed to him “smash’d like a china

plate,” as he said after the war. When his brother was wounded at Fredericksburg Whitman

went there to care for him and also for other union and confederate soldiers.

The war had its effect on the writer which is shown in the poem published under the title of

DRUMTAPS (1865). In its companion volume, SEQUEL (1865-66), appeared on elegy on

President Abraham Lincoln, ‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d another famous

poem about the death of Lincoln is to “O Captain!!’ I love the president personally,

‘Whitman wrote in his diary.

____________________________

² http: //kirjasto.sci.fi/ wwhitman. htm

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On the basis of his services Whitman was given a clerkship in the Department of Interior. He

transferred them to the attorney general office, when his chief labeled

“Leaves of Grass:” is an indecent book. At the age of sixty four Whitman settled in a little

house on Mickle Street in Camden, New Jersey where he spent almost the rest of his life. He

was taken care of by a widow he had befriended. His reputation was shadowed by his

outspokenness on sexual matters began to rise after recognition in England by Algerton

Charles Swinburne, Anne Gilchrist, and Edward Carpenter. In 1871 Whitman politely

declined Gilchrist offer a marriage. Visitors from abroad also included in 1882 the Irish

playwright Oscar Wilde, who said that “there is no one in this wide great world of America

whom I love and honor so much”.

C. THE PROBLEM

The researcher will present now there problem that is need to be solve.

1. How did the past experience of William Blake and Walt Whitman influence their works?

2. How did the poems of William Blake differ from the poems of Walt Whitman? In the

following :

A. Themes

B. Style

C. Poetic devices

D. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY:

The research is focused on the poems of Walt Whitman “The Dirge for Two

Veteransand The Midnight Sleep” and the poems of William Blake “The Angel andMy

SpectreAround Me”. It limits on the themes, style, poetic device they use in their poems.

The research paper was started on August 2011 and it is expected to be

finished at the end of January 2012.

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E. METHODS AND SOURCES OF THE STUDY:

Methods:

The methods used in the research are surfing from internet, researching, and

from books.

The informationare taken from the internet and books.

Sources:

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F. DEFINITION OF TERM USED:

Bereaved- suffering the death of a loved one.

My SpectreAround Me, Stanza 5, Line 2

* In the poem, the author is suffering from the death of his loved one.

Ghastly- terrifying, horrible, intensely, or shocking.

Dirge for Two Veterans, Stanza 11, Line 3

* Ghastly is used in the poem to describe a moon, a terrifying

man.

Grave- a hole dug in the ground burying the dead.


* Grave is in the poem is use as a burying soldier.

Immense - a very great in sized on amount; HUGE.


* Immense is used to describe the moon in the poem, a very HUGE

moon.

Pavement - a hard solid surface, covering or flooring for a road or footway, usually

resting immediately on the ground.


* The word used as a solid or a big wall.

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CHAPTER II

PRESENTATION AND REVIEW OF

RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, the researchers present the poems of the two authors to

show how they differ from each other or poetic device.

The researchers are glad to present the poems because they know the

poems are interesting.

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B.PRESENTATION

MY SPECTRE AROUND ME³ By: William Blake

My spectre around me night and day

Like a wild beast guards my way

My emanation for within

Weep incessantly for my sin.

A fathomless and boundless deep

There we wander, there we weep:

On the hungry craving wind

My spectre follows thee behind.

He scent they footsteps in the snow,

Wheresoever thou dost go

Through the wintry hail and rain,

When will thou return again?

Dost thou not in pride and scorn

Till with tempests my entire morn

And with jealousies and fears

Till my pleasant night with tears?

Seven of my sweet loves thy knife

Has bereaved of their life

Their marble tombs I built with tears

And with cold and shuddering fears.

_________________

³http:// www. Poemhunter.com/poem/my-spectre-around-me-night-and-day

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Seven more loves weep night and day

Round the toms where my loves day

And seven more loves attend each night

Around my cough torches bright.

And seven more loves in my bed

Crown with wine my mournful head,

Pitying and forgiving all

Thy transgressions, great and small.

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DIRGE FOR TWO VETERANS4

by: Walt Whitman

The last sunbeam

Lightly falls from the finish’d Sabbath,

On the pavement here and there beyond it is looking,

Down a new-made double grave.

Lo! the moon ascending!

Up from the east the silvery round moon:

Beautiful over the house tops, ghastly, phantom moon,

Immense and silent moon.

I see a procession,

And I hear the sound of coming full-key’d bugles:

All the channels of the streets theyne flooding:

As with the voices and with tears.

I hear the great drums pounding

And the small drums steady whirring;

And every blow of the great convulsive drums,

Strikes me through and through.

For the son is brought with the father;

In the foremost rank of the fierce assault they fell;

Two veterans’ son and father dropt together,

And the double grave awaits them.

Now mearer blow the bugles,

And the drums strike more convulsive;

And the daylight o’er the pavement quite has faded

And the strong dead march enwraps me

In the eastern sky up-buoying,

The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin’d;

(‘This some mothers large transparent face,

In the heaven brighter growing.)

___________________

4http://www.poetry.about.com/od/poems/1/ blWhitmandirge.htm

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O strong dead-march, you please me!

O moon immense, with your silvery face you soothe me!

O my soldier twain! O my veterans, passing to burial!

What I have also give you.

The moons give you light,

And the bugles and the drums give you music;

And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,

My heart gives you love.

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THE ANGEL5

By: William Blake

I dreamt a dream! What can it mean?

And that I was maiden Queen

Guarded by an angel mild;

Wittess woe was mere beguiled

And I wept both night and day

And he wept tears away;

And I wept both day and night

And hid from him my hearts delight.

So he took his wings, and fled,

Then the morn blushes rosy red.

I dried my tears, and armed my fears

With ten thousand shields and spears

Soon my angel came again;

I was armed, he come in vain

For the time of youth was fled

And grey hairs were on my head.

_______________________________________________

5http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/angel-the/

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/

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IN THE MIDNIGHT SLEEP6

by: Walt Whitman

In the midnight sleep, of many face of anguish,

Of the look at first of the mortally wounded of that indescribable look;

Of the dead on their backs, with arms extended wide

I dream, I dream, I dream

Of scenes of nature, fields, and mountains;

Of skies, so beauteous after a storm and at night the moon so unearthly bright,

Shining sweetly, shining down, where big the trenches and gather the heap,


Long, long have they pass’d faces and trenches and fields;

Where through the carnage I moved with a callous

Composure or away from the fallen

Onward I sped at the time, but now of their form at night


_______________________________

6http://www.poemhunter.com/in-midnight-sleep/

http://www.poemhunter.com/in-midnight-sleep/

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A. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

1. The experience of William Blake that affect his works, when he saw visions. He would

see trees full of angels, because of this, his work are inspired with the angels and love.

This experiences is supported by his poem entitled “The Angel” on stanza 1, as you read

the stanza 1, it states that the author is dreaming that he is like a “queen” guarded by the

angels. While Walt Whitman based his works through love for his motherland, this is

supported by his poem entitled “Dirge for Two Veterans’’ in stanza 3. It states about the

parade of dead soldiers which related to his poem about war.

2. The theme of William Blake’s poem as learned by the researchers is love this supported

by his other poem entitled “The Little Boy Found’’ stanza 2, line 1, which states “he

kissed the child and by the hand led”. Which is a strong indication of the God’s love to

his some appear’d like his father, and brought the boy to his mother who is full of

sorrow. Another poem that supports the theme of William Blake poem’s, entitled “The

Clod and Pebble” stanza 1, line 1, which states “ Love seeketh not itself to please” and

stanza 3, line 1 , which also states “Love seeketh only to self to please”, which express

the two kinds of love; the unselfish love and selfish love. In stanza 1………

The theme that supports Walt Whitman’s poems is about war. One poem entitled “O

Captain! My Captain!’’supported the main poem of Walt Whitman. In stanza 1, line 1,

the captain referred to Abraham Lincoln, the former president of the USA and fearful

trip referred to a ship which is used by Abraham Lincoln in sailing. In line1, he

expressed the feelings to his captain when the war was ended, but the captain died on

the ship when he almost reaches the port that makes the people mad and lonely of the

dead of the captain that leads them to victory in war. Another poem that supports the

poem of Walt Whitman entitled “When I Heard the Learned Astronomers” with the

theme of love, which stated in line 4 “When I, sitting, heard the astronomers where he

lectured with much applause in the lecture room”, were in this, the astronomers

appreciated and loved what the speaker did in his lecture, but he feel tired and sick, and

he didn’t wandered by himself of what he learned about the learning’s of the

astronomers. The speaker just watches the evening sky feeling the moist in night.

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CHAPTER III

ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the researchers present their analysis of the works of the

William Blake and Walt Whitman. They are confident to present the themes, poetic devices,

and style that the two authors used.

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To answer the following questions:

1. How did the past experience of the two authors influenced their works?

- The experience of William Blake That affects his works, when he saw visions.

He would see trees full of angels, because of this; his works are inspired with the angels

and love, While Walt Whitman based his works through love for his motherland and war.

2. How did the poems of William Blake differ from the poems of Walt Whitman? in the

following:

A. Theme

- The theme of Walt Whitman’s poem is the love for his motherland and love for

the democracy of there country. In poem 2, stanza 3, it states about parade of a dead

soldiers from the war to protect his country. It tells the result of the war to the

people. William Blake’s theme for his poem are commonly love and angels. In the

poem 3, stanza 1, it states that the author is dreaming that he is like a queen guarded

with the angels.

B. Style

- The style of William Blake in writing his poems are deceptively easy and truly

observe, he was also influenced by Milton for his famous unrhymed Iambic penta

meter, while the style of Walt Whitman to his poem in actually none.

C. Poetic Devices

1. Alliteration

- The use on repetition of a succession of words with same initial letter or

sound.

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Walt Whitman

“Dirge for Two Veterans”

Stanza 1, line 2 - falls- finish’d

line 3 - the - there

line 4 - with - double

Stanza 3, line 1 - see - sand

line 3 - the - they’re

line 4 - with - with

Stanza 4, line 4 - through - through

Stanza 5, line 1 - for - father

line 2 - foremost - fierce - fell

line 4 - the - theme

Stanza 6, line 3 - the - the

Stanza 8, line 2 - your - you

line 3 - O - O

line 4 - l - l

Stanza 9, line 2 - the - the

line 3 - my - my

“ In the Midnight Sleep”

Stanza 1, line 1 - midnight - many

line 2 - that - the

line 3 - their - the

- wide - width

Stanza 2, line 3 - down - dig

Stanza 3, line 1 - faces - field

line 2 - through - the

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line 3 - now - night

William Blake

“My SpectreAround Me’’

Stanza 1, line 1 - my - me

- around - are

line 2 - wild - away

Stanza 2, line 2 - wander - weep

Stanza 3, line 1 - thy - the

line 2 - through - the

Stanza 5, line 3 - tomb - tears

Stanza 6, line 2 - loves - lay

line 3 - and - attend

“The Angel”

Stanza 1

2. Assonance

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- It is a phonetic device in which writers repeat similar vowels sound without

corresponding repetition of consonants.

William Blake

“My SpectreAround Me”

Stanza 1, line 1 - spectre - me

Stanza 2, line 4 - spectre - thee

3. Rhyming

Walt Whitman

“Dirge for Two Veterans”

Stanza 1 Stanza 2

sunbeam - a ascending - c

sabbath - b moon - e

looking - c moon - e

grave - d moon - e

Stanza 3 Stanza 4

procession - f pounding - c

bugles - g whirring - c

flooding - c drums - i

tears - h through - j

Stanza 5 Stanza 6

father - k bugles - g

fell - l convulsive - h

together - k faded - o

them - m me - p

Stanza 7 Stanza 8

up-buoying -c me - p

illumin’d - g me - p

face - r burial - s

growing - c you -t

Stanza 9

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light - u

music - v

veterans - w

love - x

“In the Midnight Sleep”

Stanza 1

anguish - a

look - b

wide - c

dream - d

Stanza 2

mountains - e

bright - f

heap - g

dream - d

Stanza 3

fields - h

fallen - i

night - f

dream - d

William Blake

“My SpectreAround Me”

Stanza 1 Stanza 2

day - a deep - c

way - a weep - c

within - b wind - d

sin - b behind - d

Stanza 3 Stanza 4

snow - e scorn - g

go - e morn - g

rain - f fears - h

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again - f tears - h

Stanza 5 Stanza 6

knife - i day - a

life - I lay - a

tears - h night - j

fears - h bright - j

Stanza 7

bed - k

head - k

all - l

small - l

“The Angel’’

Stanza 1

mean - a

queen - a

mild - b

beguiled - b

Stanza 2

day - c

away - c

night - d

delight - d

Stanza 3

fled - e

red - e

fears - f

spears - f

Stanza 4

again - g

vain - g

fled - e

head - e

diphthong lacking

CHAPTER IV

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FINDINGS

In this chapter, the researchers present their findings about the works of the two authors.

The researchers are eager to learn the works of the two authors differences.

FINDINGS:

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- The researchers found out that the life of Walt Whitman influences his works, in

his poems. The common themes throughout his poems is his intense love for his motherland, so

often describes the trees, the plants, the birds, the people, and specially the government and the

war, it shows the intense love for his motherland. In poetic devices, Whitman uses alliteration,

assonance, rhyming, and diphthong. On William Blake, the common themes for his poems are

influenced by his visions. He would see trees full of angels and because of this, his work are

inspired with the angels and love. In style,William Blake’s poems are deceptively easy and truly

observe, he was also influenced by Milton for his famous unrhymed Iambic penta meter. In

poetic devices he uses also alliteration, assonance, rhyming, and Diphthongs.

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDAITON

In this chapter, the researchers presented their conclusion and

recommendation beheaded on this term paper.

The researchers are happy of what they learned about the works of the two

authors.

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A. Conclusion

The researchers conclude that the difference between Walt Whitman’s poems and

William Blake’s poems is theme and style of writing because the theme of Walt Whitman is

all about war and love for his motherland while William Blake themes is all about his visions

and love and in style Walt Whitman has none style of writing while William Blake influenced

his style form Milton.

The researchers conclude that the life of Walt Whitman influences his works, in his

poem and the theme of his poems is all about war and love to his motherland while William

Blake’s poem influenced by his visions, in angel and love. In poetic devices Walt Whitman

did not used regular rhyming while William Blake used regular rhyming.

Recommendation lacking

....

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.poetry.about.com/od/poems/1/ blWhitmandirge.htm

http:// www. Poemhunter.com/poem/my-spectre-around-me-night-and-day http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/angel-the/


http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/


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DEDICATION:

First and foremost, I would like to give our sincere thanks and praise to our

almighty father with his deniable power and immeasurable love not wise for us but for the

whole human race.

To our beloved parents with there continuously support and understanding

especially in times that we almost forgot our responsibility as a son. Thank you so much with

your love and compassion we can be a fulfilled person someday.

To Our teachers, our second parents with their administrable courage and

patience, to them we also offer this activity. Without their thorough teaching and lessons we

won’t be here in this year level.

To our classmates and friends we also dedicate this requirement. Thank you

so much, not just for being of there always and helping us in making this requirement but also

you accepted us as a friend. At first we thought that you were hostile.

walt whitman and william blake

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